Furnace construction



, Jan 13, 1 25- 1,523,138

w. H. PALMER FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Dec. 22. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheeti WITNEss INVENTQEL Wa 2AM 7%7 m gg Win-11:58

Jan. 13, 1925 v 1523mm W. H. PALMER FURNACE CONSTRUCTION Original Filed Dec. 22, 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 3% III f// 1 In VENTOR 75am? F 7W Patented Jan. 13, 1925.

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WILLIAM H. PALMER, OF PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA.

FURNACE CONSTRUCTION.

Application filed December 22, 1921, Serial No. 524,329.

T 0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, TILLIAM H. PALMER, a citizen of the United States, and residing in the city of Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented or discovered the new, useful, and Improved Furnace Construction, of which the following is a specification.

My invention consists in a new and improved furnace installation, especially intended for stills, such as petroleum stills and the like.

It is more particularly intended for use in connection with a closed grate structure which supports the fuel bed but does not permit the fuel or ash to pass down through the grate structure, the air necessary to maintain combustion being artificial draft through openings in the grate surface.

The objects which I have in view are, inter alia, as follows: the reduction of the grate surface without sacrifice of efliciency or heat values; the better distribution of the draft, and the provision of 'means whereby a portion of the fire may be cleaned without disturbing the remainder of the fire and thus interfering with the proper conduct of the distilling process.

For the accomplishment of these purposes, I provide a furnace preferably having a closed grate surface and divide the pit or space beneath the grate longitudinally of the furnace into two or more separated con'ipartments and, connect said compart ments individually by valved ports or openings with a supply chamber connected with the forced draft. The valves are controlled from without the furnace so that when one part or half of the tire requires cleaning, the draft may be cut off from the same without affecting the air supplied to the remainder of the furnace.

I also divide the fuel space longitudinally by means of a wall, preferably of refractory material, extending above the fuel level and preferably narrowing or tapering upwardly from both sides so as to flare the fuel beds upwardly, the same flaring being obtained at the outer sides of the twin fuel beds by interior walls or wall linings of refractory material extending above the fuel level and above the same bevelling or tapered back to the furnace Wall.

.As a preferable and more convenient supplied by- Renewed August 15, 1924.

method of constructing the forced draft supply chamber beneath the grate, I form the same by making the base of the longitudinal dividing wall, beneath the level of the grate, hollow, thus interposing the air-supply chamber between the pit coinpartments under the two halves of the grate.

Other novel features of construction and arrangement of parts will appear from the following description.

In the accompanying drawings, which are, however, merely intended to illustrate a practical embodiment of the principles of my invention without limiting the scope of the latter to the construction shown, F ig. l is a broken perspective of a still installation embodying the principles of my invention; Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the furnace of the same, taken along the line HII in Fig. 3 and partially broken away to show the air-supply chamber, and Fig. 3 is a sectional view taken along the line IIIIII in Fig. 2.

The following is a detailed of the drawings;

A is the horizontally disposed still tank supported in the usual manner by the fur nace brick work of which is shown the front wall 1, the side wall 2, and the bridge wall which separates the fire chamber from the combustion chamber l in the rear.

Rising from the longitudinal center of the pit below the grate is the hollow wall containing the airsupply chamber C which extends from the front wall to the bridge wall. A pit door 5 is provided in the front wall at either side of the hollow wall 13. D represents the closed grate bars which are supported longitudinally of the furnace as by means of front and rear supporting bars 6 and 7. The construction of the grate bars herein shown is fully described in my pending patent application, filed October 22nd, 1921, Serial Number 509,582. An equal number of these grate bars are mounted on either side of the wall B, the bars being preferably inclined upwardly at their forward ends as shown. The front wall is provided with a fuel door 8 at each side of the wall B which provides access to the fire chamber on each side of said wall B. The wall B is built up beyond'the grate bars above the fuel level and the portion above said bare is stepped or tapered upwardly and inwardl from description .ehambcr C- when the still is idle.

both sides, as best shown at 9 in Fig. 3. The side walls of the furnace are also stepped back, as shown at 10.

The air-supply chamber C formed by the hollow lower portion of the Wall E is connected by a duct 11 with a compressed air conduit E which may be placed in any convenient position to supply a battery of stills. In the drawings, I have shown said conduit running beneath the floor in front of the stills. The duct 11 is providedwith a butterfly valve 12 mounted on a vertically disposed rod 13 extending up through the floor and provided with a crank handle so the air may be cut off from the air-supply Each of the side walls of the chamber C is provided with an elongated port or opening let which is provided with a gate or valve plate 15 sliding horizontally in the guide plates 16 attached to the wall. The gates are moved rearwardly to open the ports and forwardly to close or partially close the ports. The gates are provided with operating rods 17 which extend through holes in the front wall of the furnace and have their front ends looped to form handles. Thus the workman pushes a handle in to open the corresponding port and pulls it out to close the same. Thus a handle snug against the front wall, out of the way, indicates an air port fully open, while protruding handle indicates a closed or partially closed port, according to the degree of its protrusion.

' It is evident that the fire chamber is thus divided longitudinally into two grate compartments sustaining separate fuel beds, thus cutting down the fuel capacity of the furnace and effecting a very substantial economy in fuel, but not impairing the efficiency of the furnace as the fuel beds are laterally flared or enlarged. upwardly and together form what is in effect a single fuel bed extending clear across the furnace The. downwardly narrowing of the beds of fuel is completed at the sides by the inclination of the furnace side walls above the grate bars.

. It is quite evident that the draft may be cut off from one of the twin fuel beds to enable the same to be cleaned without interfering in any way with the other fuel bed so that there-is no appreciable effect on the operation of the still due to the cleaning and removal of the fires.

The fire can therefore be carefully regulated for the accomplishment of the distilling operation wherein regulation of the heat as the operation progresses is of prime importance.

The nice adjustments of the drafts to regulate the heat can be accurately effected by the use of my improved construction.

. Although, for the sake of clearness I have minutely described the embodiment of the principles of my invention shown in the drawings, I do not wish to limit myself thereby, but claim broadly- 1. In av still furnace installation, the combination of a fuel platform, a longitudinally disposed division wall extending from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and rising through the pit to above the fuel level on said platform, and separate valved means for admitting forced draft into the pit'on each side of said division wall.

2. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a fuel platform, a longitudinally disposed division wall extending from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and rising through the pit to above the fuel. level on said platform, a forced draft supply chamber, and separate, valved connections between said chamber and the portions of said pit on either side of said division wall.

3. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a fuel platform, a, longitudinally disposed division wall extending from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and rising through the pit to above the fuellevel of the platform, the base portion of said wall being hollow to form a forced draft chamber, and valved portsconnee-ting said chamber with the pit on either side of said division wall.

ff. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a fuel platform, a longitudinally disposed division wall extending from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and rising through the pit to above the fuel level on said platform, the base portion of said wall being hollow toforin 'a forced draft chamber, a valved port con necting said chamber with each of the portions of the pit on either side of said division wall, and valves for said ports individually operated from without said furnace.

5. In a still furnace installation the'combination of a fuel platform, a. longitudinally disposed division wall extending from the front wall of said furnace to the bridge wall thereof and rising through. the pit to above the fuel level'of said platform, the.

base portion of said wall being hollow to form a. forced draft chamber. valved ports connecting said chan'iber with. the pit on either sldeof said division wall, and valved means for'supplying forced draft to said 'eh amber.

6. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a fuel platform, a longitudinally disposer division wall extending from connecting said chamber with each of the portions of said pit on either side of said division wall, valves for said ports inclividually operated from without said furnace, and valved means for supplying the forced draft to said chamber.

7. in a still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed division wall extending upwardly from the pit and from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and above the fuel level, closed grate bars mounted on either side of said division wall, means for introducing forced draft into the pit at either side of said division wall, and means for individually regulating the draft supplied to either side of said division Wall.

8. In astill furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed division wall extending upwardly from the pit and from the front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and above the fuel level, closed grate bars mounted on either side of said division wall, means for introducing forced draft into the pit on either side of said bridge wall, and means operated from without said furnace for individually regulating the draft supplied to either side of said division Wall.

9. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed division wall extending upwardly from the pit and from the front wall of said furnace to the bridge wall thereof and above the fuel level, and closed grate bars mounted on either side of said division wall, means for supplying forced draft to the pit on either side of said division wall, the said wall above said grate bars being upwardly tapered toward its longitudinal center whereby the capacity of the fuel platforms is upwardly enlarged.

10. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed division wall extending upwardly from the pit and fromthe front wall of the furnace to the bridge wall thereof and above the fuel level, closed grate bars mounted on either side of the said division wall, means for supplying forced draft to the pit on either side of said division wall, said division wall above said grate bars being upwardly tapered toward its longitudinal center and the side Walls of said furnace being inclined outwardly from said grate bars to upwardly enlarge the capacity of fuel platforms.

11. In a still furnace installation, thej combination of a longitudinally disposed and chambered division wall extending from the front wall to the bridge wall, closed grate bars mounted on either side of the division wall and sufliciently below the top of the same that the top of the fuel bed is below the top of the wall, means for supplying forced draft to the interior chamber of said division wall, and valved openings in the sides of said division wall below the grate bars whereby the forced draft may be introduced under the fuel beds.

12. In a "still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed and chambered division wall extending from the front wall to the bridge wall, closed grate bars mounted on either side of the division wall and sufiiciently below the top of the same that the top of the fuel bed is below the top of the wall, means for supplying forced draft to the interior chamber of said division wall, a port in each side of the division wall below the grate bars, and individually controlled valves for each port whereby the forced draft may be introduced below either or both sides of the fire.

13. In a still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed and chambered division wall extending from the front wall to the bridge wall, closed grate bars mounted on either side of the division wall and sufliciently below the top of the same that the top of the fuel bed is below the top of the wall, means for supplying forced draft to the interior chamber of said in the sides of said division wall below the grate bars whereby the forced draft may be introduced under the fuel beds, the division wall above the grate bars being upwardly tapered toward its center line to fipcilvardly expand the capacities of the fuel 14. In a. still furnace installation, the combination of a longitudinally disposed and chambered division wall extending from the front wall to the bridge wall, closed grate bars mounted on either side of the division wall and sufficiently below the top of the same that the top of the fuel bed is below the top of the wall, means for supplying forced draft to the interior chamber of said division wall, and valved openings in the sides of said division wall below the grate bars whereby the forced draft may be introduced under the fuel beds, the division wall above the grate bars being upwardly tapered toward its center line and side walls of the furnace being inclined outwardly above the grate bars to upwardly expand the capacities of the fuel beds.

Signed at Pittsburgh, Pa, this 19th day of December, 1921.

\VILLIAM HOWARD PALMER.

division wall, and valved openings 

